Q & A with Mayor-elect Kevin Johnson

Kevin Johnson is one day away from officially taking office and the challenges he'll face as the Mayor of Sacramento dwarf any on-court maneuverings he performed as an All-Star point guard with the Phoenix Suns.

With unemployment at a 10-year high, the city's crime rate reaching record numbers and the school system in need of a reset, Johnson is running full speed ahead in tackling the city's critically important issues. It's also no surprise that one of the NBA's premier assist men is asking the citizens to lend a hand in volunteerism and philanthropy.

Emphasizing public service, those attending Johnson's public swearing-in ceremony last Tuesday at Memorial Auditorium were required to either sign up and volunteer or donate to the Sacramento Food Bank.

The native Sacramentean spoke to NBA.com's John Hareas just days before he is to take oath at the City Council meeting and discussed a number of topics including his vision for the city, which former NBA players were instrumental in his campaign and why his friend, President Elect Barack Obama, would be wise not to challenge him in a game of one on one.

NBA.com: Has anything you accomplished on the court compare to being sworn in as Mayor of Sacramento as you were during the public ceremonial inauguration?
Kevin Johnson: I think my highlights playing in the NBA were, No. 1 getting drafted -- that draft day was special. No. 2, making it to the NBA Finals was extremely special and I can tell you that as great as those moments were, getting sworn in on Tuesday topped it.

NBA.com: What are some of your top-line priorities for your first 100 days in office?
Kevin Johnson: In Sacramento, we have a violent crime problem, where violent crime has increased over the last seven years so we're going to tackle public safety as a top priority. The majority of our schools are not meeting the state academic growth targets, so we're going to tackle improving our public schools. Thirdly, our unemployment is the highest it's been in a decade and we have to make sure we do a better job with economic development and creating more job opportunities in Sacramento. Those are three top line platform issues that I campaigned on and certainly will guide what I do right out of the gate.

NBA.com: How did being a former player help you in your Mayoral run and did it become a hindrance in any way?
Kevin Johnson: Being an NBA player was not an obstacle at all. In fact, there were a lot of benefits. One, just dealing with the media and public scrutiny, being scrutinized on a regular basis certainly was very helpful and it wasn't something that was foreign to me.

Secondly, being a part of a team and working with teammates and not just one person but many people toward a collective goal is something that you need to do in politics as well. T

The third thing, which is kind of interesting, you have teammates, they're like different constituents, you have to work with different people, they have different personalities, you have to figure out how to play to everybody's strengths and get the most out of everyone's potential. Those things are very helpful.

Then lastly, just the whole competitiveness, the discipline that requires to being successful, setting goals and holding yourself accountable, that whole kind of mindset was very beneficial.

NBA.com: Who among former players assisted you with your campaign?
Kevin Johnson: Right off the bat, those who assisted me included Magic Johnson and Charles Barkley and then Shaquille O'Neal was very, very important as well. A lot of my Phoenix Suns teammates -- Mark West, Dan Majerle -- a lot of those guys were helpful. Then I got a chance to talk to Bill Bradley. We exchanged messages. He sent me an e-mail right off the bat and helped me. So, there were a lot of players around the league, including Jason Kidd, that were helpful.

NBA.com: How did they specifically help you?
Kevin Johnson: Most of the people that I mentioned all fall into these categories. First of all, they called and said they were going to support my efforts and that anything I needed that they were willing to step up. They contributed money or they came out personally for a fund raiser or they endorsed me, they spoke to the media on my behalf, they spoke to the community on my behalf. Shaquille O'Neal went to a Boys & Girls Club and we did a community event. There were a host of ways most of those people helped out and played a significant role

NBA.com: Are you keeping tabs on Dave Bing and his Mayoral run in Detroit?
Kevin Johnson: I'm excited to see that Dave is making a run. I haven't followed it closely but I'm certainly rooting for him now that I have my race out of the way. I'm going to reach out to see if there is anything I can do to help him.

NBA.com: Any advice you might share with him, especially since you won the election?
Kevin Johnson: Dave is wise. He's one of our wise elders that many of us are following in his footsteps in many areas. So, he knows how to navigate.

The three things I would say to him, which I'm sure he already knows is: No. 1 -- you have to continually talk about vision, ideas and issues. Talk about what's important to people in the community. No. 2, you have to run a positive campaign, so no matter what people say that may or may not be true, you don't want to engage or go to the level of mudslinging. And No. 3, if you want to win a local campaign, you have to win it on the ground. And we went out door to door and made ourselves as accessible as possible. When you're at the door of households and canvass the streets, it makes a huge difference.

NBA.com: Do you think we'll see more former players running for political office and if so, who among today's NBA players have the potential to run for office?
Kevin Johnson: I was told that I was the first NBA player to become a mayor so that is a great honor but there have been so many people that were political and have done great things.

My involvement in politics I'd like to think is a start for many people in the NBA world that are looking at getting involved and be a public servant at a much greater level. Dave Bing is certainly doing it. Charles Barkley is considering making a run for Governor of Alabama, so he would fall into that next group of people who potentially may run who have not run in the past. Magic Johnson certainly has ability to do it. He has to make a choice. Is he making a bigger impact privately with his business and the money he's making and how he's impacting urban communities all over the country. Certainly, he would be a candidate as well.

NBA.com: Will Charles Barkley ever run for a political office and if so, how do you think he would do?
Kevin Johnson: Charles is a straight shooter. If he runs for office and gets elected, he's one of a kind. So, I think he'll do well and he'll be successful at whatever he decides to do. I think he just has to make sure this is something he really wants to do. He is taking steps in that direction. He's purchasing a home in Alabama. He has to have residency in that state and I think it takes six or seven years, so he's taking a step in that direction. I think if he considers his options, it's certainly something that will be very entertaining. I hope he seriously considers it.

NBA.com: Who are your political role models?
Kevin Johnson: I was a big fan of people like Martin Luther King and Caesar Chavez and Mother Teresa. These were people that were not elected officials but people who did work as community activists and understood that they had a moral imperative somehow to make their town, or their city, or their state or their community, better. They were very political in their own right. Gandhi would fall into that category as well.

In terms of elected officials, certainly Bill Bradley, part of the NBA fraternity, he's a huge role model for all of us. President JFK is somebody that obviously I never had a chance to meet since I wasn't even born but he was somebody that is a huge political role model for me. He wrote the book, Profiles of Courage, and it's something I read when I decided to run and Bill Clinton as well in terms of modern day.

NBA.com: Do you have a basketball ritual similar to President Elect Barack Obama who plays basketball on election day? Do you know him and have you seen him play?
Kevin Johnson: Yes, I know Barack Obama. I consider him a friend and I endorsed him very early even before I decided to run for Mayor. I have seen him play but I have not seen him play in person. In all of the times that he and I have been together, we've never talked about playing basketball and I think that shows you how smart he is. He doesn't want to mix it up with me. He doesn't want to be the second best or third best elected official when it comes to basketball.

In terms of his rituals, I don't have any rituals that relate to basketball or anything of that nature. For me, it's just making sure I'm working hard and doing all that I can do.

NBA.com: Long term, do you have political aspirations beyond the office of Mayor of Sacramento?
Kevin Johnson: I cannot say that I do. I haven't actually been sworn in yet officially. After four years of being in office in Sacramento, I'll have a much better idea if I like it, if I'm good at it and the people like me, I'd like to consider running for another term in Sacramento but I have not looked beyond that.

NBA.com: How closely do you keep tabs on the league and who among today's players are you a fan of that you like to tune in to watch?
Kevin Johnson: I'm a big fan of Jason Kidd, obviously. I'm a big fan of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash. There is a tremendous talent of young players coming around -- LeBron James -- and a host of young players that are really good for the NBA. I'm just very proud of the direction that the league is going in. We need to continue to do that.